The last couple of days I’ve heard several people question what they have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. And while I know times are very tough, and I really do feel for those folks. I would submit we all have something to be thankful for everyday. Candidly, it makes me sad to hear people ask why they should be thankful. Thanksgiving isn’t a one day event, its an expression of thanks that shouldn’t be reserved but shared freely.
I’m reminded of these two beautiful girls Faith 5 and her sister Ruth 3 that I met in a tiny village in Ngaamba, Kenya ,when I worked in their village for a week last summer. These girls walked over one and a half miles to attend preschool by themselves everyday and without adult supervision. The shoes they were wearing didn’t fit and were coming a part at the seams. On the days I was there, they didn’t have food for lunch everyday, and I later learned there were days that they went without food all together. Yet every single morning they arrived at school with a joyful heart and arms wide open. I spent long days with them and I never heard a complaint and the only request I ever received from them was to hold them close.
The amazing thing is that Faith and Ruth were not the exception – the entire village was incredibly happy and thankful. I was there to work in the preschool and on a water project, You see their village had no running water. And they are in serious drought. The crops were dying or already dead. There’s no easy way to say this – these people were hungry and thirsty and to see the toll that puts on a person is really difficult. The homes in this village are very simple structures that are made from bricks that comprise mud and straw and there’s no electricity anywhere. Every single day the people in this community showed up (men, women and children – young and old) ready to work hard – many of them hungry, thirsty, no shoes, no tools – yet happy and willing to share whatever they had with us. As they worked alongside us ,they worked just as hard, if not harder than we did. And on my last day there – when we turned on the water and it started flowing to the community water spot it was one of the most incredible moments I’ve ever experienced…the kind you want to savor. My entire time in Ngaamba I never heard a complaint, a cross word or even a criticism. This is a community of very happy, thankful people, despite the fact that there are no cars, no computers, no ipods and the list goes on. What they do have is community and each other and that seems to be enough.
After our time in Ngaamba, we headed to Amboseli and I had the fortunate opportunity to visit a Maasai village. The
Maasai are interesting people and even more primitive than the friends we made in Ngaamba. Life is even tougher for them yet they still have a deep sense of joy about them. Their community means everything to them and together they work through the challenges and celebrate the victories.
So what’s my point? All of these people are happy and thankful for what they have, they were not complaining about what they didn’t have. They are focused on helping each other and working together to improve the community. Many of the things we take for granted, they have never seen and probably won’t in their lifetime. If you’re reading this that means you have access to the internet – yet another item many of them will never see. YOU have the power to change our outlook. Instead of waiting for someone else to change things why not start the process yourself? Why not look around your community whether it be your physical community or online community and see what you can do to help out? One thing I know for sure, once you start giving your outlook will change and you might be surprised at how thankful you begin to feel.
Last week at the Web 2.0 Open, I heard Julien Smith speak, he’s co-author of Trust Agents, and I loved his talk. He spoke passionately – one of the things he said was ” facilitate the exchange of social capital,” Simple words yet a powerful message – are you facilitating the exchange of social capital? He ended his presentation with a challenge and I’m going to extend it to you – “Be the person who will go for it and helps others!” Let’s stop focusing on what we don’t have and focus on what we do have and where we can help others. Can we do that? Will you share your stories with me?
